Volume 13 Number 4

February 2000

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Found an injured raptor?
Contact Debbie Delevan

Phone: (410) 692-9305
Fax: (410) 692-2765
E-mail: raptors@bellatlantic.net

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CONTENTS

Nature Photographer To Present Slide Program
Nominations Needed For Annual Awards
President's Notes
Aloha!
Great Backyard Bird Count
Calendar of Events
Newsletter 2000
Birder's Forum . . .
Barn Owl Project
Harford "Hotspot"
Browsing the Magazine Rack
Field Trip Reports
Harford's Avian Visitors
HARFORD CHAPTER - MOS FIELD TRIPS FEBRUARY - APRIL 2000
Dinner Meeting Reservation Form

The March dinner meeting will feature Mr. Middleton Evans, an accomplished nature and bird photographer. Mr. Evans is a 1986 graduate of Duke University. Although never having studied photography, he completed and had his first book, Maryland in Focus, published in 1988. Over the next three years, he completed and published a second photographic essay entitled Baltimore.

During the evening's program, Mr. Evans will present an overview of his third book, Maryland's Great Outdoors; a collection of images celebrating the state's diverse natural heritage. Also featured will be Mr. Evans' newest endeavor; the "wetland birds" of North America. He will present slides from recent birding trips to Churchill (Canada), Bosque del Apache (New Mexico), Big Sur (California), Freezeout Lake (Montana), Cape St. Mary's (Newfoundland), and Florida's Everglades NP. A follow-up question and book signing session will follow.

The dinner meeting will be held on Friday, March 3, 2000* at Churchville Presbyterian Church located at the intersection of MD 22 and MD 136. The dinner will start at 6:15 PM. The dinner reservation form is at the back of this newsletter and is due not later than Wednesday, February 23. The business meeting will start at about 7:00 PM for those who do not wish to attend the dinner.

*Note: Inclement Weather Policy. If Harford County Public Schools are closed for the entire day or if they close early, the meeting will be postponed one week. If schools have a delayed opening, the meeting will be held as scheduled. Please call Debbie Delevan at (410) 692-9305 before 5:00 PM if the weather is questionable.

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It has become a tradition for the club to present awards for the previous year at the May dinner meeting. If you have any nominations for the prestigious award categories listed below, please inform Debbie Delevan by phone or by e-mail (raptors@bellatlantic.net) before Wednesday, April 26. Awards are to be given to: "County Lister of the Year", "Rookie of the Year", "Bird of the Year", and for "Distinguished Service". Listers should also submit their list before April 26.

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A meeting of the Executive Committee commenced on January 14, 2000. Two new "Standing Committees" were formed and they are as follows:

1. Education Committee with Chairperson Jean Fry, and
2. Public Relations Committee with Chairperson Carol Flora.

A new colored brochure is in the making to assist the club in attracting new membership. This project is due to be completed in the Spring.

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Aloha to Club President Saylor !

Who is President Saylor? Did Harford Bird Club member Larry Saylor assume the duties of Club President when no one was looking? And just where exactly is our newly elected President, Debbie Delevan.

Well, as confusing as it may at first seem, its actually quite simple. On February 15, on the beautiful Hawaiian isle of Kauai, Debbie Delevan will wed Larry Saylor, thus becoming . . . yeah, you guessed it, Debbie Saylor. Congratulations from everyone in the Harford Bird Club!!! The two are going all the way with a traditional Hawaiian style sunset wedding on the beach.

I wonder if they'll do any birding.

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Backyard birders, take note: The Great Backyard Bird Count will take place February 18-21, 2000, in backyards across the continent. This novel "citizen science" project organized by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, is run entirely through a website: log on and be counted at www.birdsource.com.

- from Winging It

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Debbie Delevan and the Harford Bird Club would like to welcome Rick Cheicante as the new editor of our Wrenderings newsletter. Rick, a longtime birder from Harford County - oh wait, that's me. Hey, I just wanted to say a brief "Hello" to all of our club's members and to thank Debbie for affording me this opportunity to serve within the Harford Bird Club. I would especially like to thank Les Eastman, Dave and Marsha Webb, Russ Kovach, and Jean Fry for their dedicated professionalism and timely assistance in putting this issue together. I look forward to the challenge of maintaining the precedent set forth by the Harford Bird Club and providing an exciting and open platform for which all members can interact.

- R. L. Cheicante

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Birder's Forum is a special section to provide club member's the opportunity to contribute and share thoughts, ideas, and perspectives along a common thread. In this issue we ask:

What is your own unique "sign of Spring"?

Is it the classic American Robin in your backyard? Maybe it's a distant sound far off in the marsh. Or perhaps something popping up out of the ground. In one or two lines, share with the club that unique sign that Spring has sprung. Please forward your responses to Rick C. before Mar. 20.

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Under the woodworking expertise of Randy Robertson, we have completed the first seven Barn Owl boxes, and are ready to mount them in suitable sites. We have built tray type (no lid) boxes for use inside barns or unused silos with roofs. The boxes are heavy and large, about 18" x 26" with 12" high sides, and are constructed using 3/4" exterior grade plywood.

Habitat is the most important consideration in site selection. Ideally, within a mile of the box location, would be large areas of unplanted fields which have a good rodent population. Other successful studies have used this open-top box design, although we could add a lid onto this box for mounting outdoors if the habitat is excellent but structures unavailable. Initially, we hope to find barns or unused silos to mount the boxes.

I would like to thank the O'Malley Lumber Company in Baltimore, MD for generously donating a pallet of 3/4" exterior grade plywood pieces which were perfectly sized for this project.

Please let me know if you have discovered any suitable sites in Harford County during your travels. Also, if you would like to help monitor a box in your area (no ladder climbing required), we can use volunteers. Contact Marsha Webb by e-mail at webbdm@starpower.net.

- Marsha Webb

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Birders from all over now know what we here in Harford County have known for some time. The February 2000 issue (vol. 14, no. 1) of Birder's World magazine enlightens readers by featuring our very own Conowingo Dam in their regular segment: "Birding Hotspot".

Author Ad Crable does a wonderful job of capturing the true and unique spirit of bird-watching at Conowingo Dam. Focusing on Conowingo's greatly rewarding, but often adverse, winter birding experience, the author covers everything from the more leisurely escape of eagle watching to the mayhem and challenge of gull identification. Definitely check this one out.

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In addition to the fantastic Conowingo article, The February 2000 issue of Birder's World announces its first-ever photo contest. There is also a wonderful article on "irruptive" species and their potential for "invasion" years. A beautiful feeding guide with photos and maps best illustrates how to attract such species as Evening Grosbeak, Pine Siskin, Common Redpoll, and crossbills. A photo essay of the woodpeckers of North America is a photographic gem.

The Bird Watcher's Digest Jan/Feb 2000 issue has two very informative articles on chickadees. If you are in the market for binos, there is a comprehensive piece on just that subject (Very good and up to date!). There is also articles on woodpecker drumming, Golden-crowned Sparrows, bird gardening, and Texas "hotspots".

The Wildbird January 2000 magazine has an article on lightweight spotting scopes. Subject material also includes St. Paul Island in Alaska's Pribilofs, optic exchange, and a 2000 directory of birding and nature festivals. The February issue addresses the confusion of taxonomic changes. Other topics include guide to birding basics and a rendezvous along the St. Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada.

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The 1999 Rock Run Christmas Bird Count (CBC) was a resounding success! With all 14 groups reporting in, a total of 109 different species of birds were recorded on the count, including a good number of rarities (see insert). Among the notable were three Peregrine Falcons at Conowingo Dam, where there was also Iceland and Lesser Black-backed Gull, and an Orange-crowned Warbler at Swan Harbor Farms. Several Northern Saw-whet Owls were seen or heard during the count. Horned Larks, American Pipits, and Eastern Meadowlarks all were witnessed during count day. Sporadic in the winter are Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, American Robins, and Eastern Phoebes, but all were observed within the Rock Run boundaries on December 30.

A big thanks goes out Lorna and John Wortman, whom graciously accepted count participants into their house for warm stew and bread. This year's count is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, December 30, 2000; so plan ahead! With the 1999 Rock Run count such a success, we will need to work hard in 2000 to top it.

- Russ Kovach

Eight club members gathered early on Sunday, January 16 for a "chase trip" targeting rare birds reported on recent hotlines. We started at Lake Elkhorn in Columbia in search of a male Dickcissel. Only co-leader Matt Hafner got a brief, obstructed glimpse of this bird as it cowered on the back on dense shrubs with a flock of House Sparrows. Despite our attempts to coerce them into open view, the whole flock took flight. As they did, we detected the Dickcissel's low, buzzy call note among the clamor of the House Sparrows.

Our next stop was at the Sykesville home of MOS member Dave Harvey, who had hosted a male Harris' Sparrow since mid-November. After 20 minutes of patiently waiting, we were rewarded with fantastic views of this rare vagrant from the midwestern United States. --thanks, Dave!!!

The rest of the day was not as successful. We tried to turn up Lapland Longspur and Northern Shrike in the rural environs of Frederick County, but could only come up with one large flock of American Pipits and several distant Northern Mockingbirds. Our final leg of the journey took us to a weedy field in Annapolis and an unsuccessful search for a Lark Sparrow. Our total for the day was 44 species.

- Dave Webb

Ten hardy souls came to the now world famous Conowingo Dam for this Sunday, January 23 gull watch. Unfortunately however, the gulls [or the dam operators] did not cooperate. There was less than 200 gulls in the area. A walk down the adjacent Greenways Trail produced great looks of Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglets, and several woodpecker species. Numerous Bufflehead and Common Goldeneyes were present on the Susquehanna River.

- Dave Powel

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After a really mild fall and early winter, the area was finally hit with some really cold seasonal weather by mid-January and the first snowfall on January 20. The migration of waterfowl was somewhat delayed by the mild temperatures. Bad weather usually brings good birds, so there is still plenty of time left for some nice winter sightings of finches, buntings, and longspurs. Keep your hopes up and your eyes open! There is a limited number of reports this time, so the column will be somewhat abbreviated.

On December 18, eight Hooded Mergansers (one male and seven females) were seen on Lake Mitten in Pylesville (JLF). Thirty Tundra Swans were sighted flying south on December 28 over the same area (JLF). On Sunday, January 9, a hen Wood Duck was "among the scores of half-wit Mallards" at the south end of the Harve de Grace Promenade (DMW). A lone Ring-necked Duck was spotted on Lake Mitten on January 11, where they are usually not seen until late February (JLF).

An adult Bald Eagle soared over Grier Nursery Road north of Forest Hill on December 7 (JLF). A Broad-winged Hawk was seen on January 2 in the Street area (DB).

Although Saw-whet Owls were banded in record numbers at Assateague, western Maryland, and in Pennsylvania, there were a few reports of sightings in our area. One was sitting on Craigs Corner Road between Stafford Road and the pumping station on January 17 at about 6:35 PM (LE). A pair of dueting Great Horned Owls were in the Webb's backyard on Saturday, January 8 (DMW). A Short-eared Owl has been seen several times in the past six weeks at Perryman near the power plant (DP).

In the woodpecker category, Linda Weeks reported having a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at her suet since the snowfall on January 20 (LW).

An Eastern Phoebe was seen in Street from December 9 through December 30, as well as a pair of Red-breasted Nuthatches all through December (DB). On December 9, a Golden-crowned Kinglet paid a visit, and all through December and up to this writing, there has been a Hermit Thrush at the bird bath at the same Street location (DB). The Fry's have been fortunate to have four Eastern Bluebirds feeding on the bittersweet behind their house this past week. The bittersweet has been there for years, but the bluebirds have apparently just discovered it (JLF).

Cedar Waxwings are always a welcome sight, and an especially large flock was spotted along Grande View Drive in Pylesville on December 10 (JLF).

An Orange-crowned Warbler was reported on the Christmas Bird Count on December 29 at Swan Harbor (DP).

Four Purple Finches stopped by the feeders on Quail Way Road in Webster on Saturday, January 15 (DMW). On Sunday, January 16, there were two male and two female Purple Finches at a feeder on Wilkinson Road near Susquehanna State Park. There were still two females there on January 17 (LE).

Lastly, Debbie Bowers had a "life bird" with a Rusty Blackbird on January 21 (DB).

OBSERVERS: Debbie Bowers (DB), Les Eastman (LE), Jean and Larry Fry (JLF), Dave Powell (DP), Dave and Marsha Webb (DMW), and Linda Weeks (LW).

The next deadline for this column will be Monday, March 20. Submissions should include sightings from January 1 through March 20. Please indicate date, location, and anything unusual about the appearance, behavior, or numbers. Send to Jean Fry, 1202 Ridge Road, Pylesville, MD 21132. E-mail: jlfry@netfox.net Phone: (410) 452-8539.

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Here are the Harford Bird Club field trips for the next few weeks. If you would like further information about a particular field trip, please contact Russ Kovach.

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Dinner Meeting Reservation Form


Please return to Barbara Siebens, P.O. Box 68, Pylesville, MD 21132-0068 
by Wednesday, February 23, 2000.

                __________ Number of adults ( at $11.00 each )
                __________ Number of children 12 and under ( at $7.00 each )

                Please make checks payable to Harford County MOS.

                        _______________________________
                         Print your name(s)

Include address and phone number if you would like transportation to the meeting.
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Please send any comments to Les Eastman.
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